Between Dreams and Nightmares
by Monnie2
Summary: M&M Maria is starting to have nightmares, she thinks that their nothing until they get worse. Are they really nothing or is it someone trying to kill her.......
1. Chapter 1

Author: Monnie  
  
Rating: R  
  
Title: Between Dreams and Nightmares  
  
Category: M&M kinda AU  
  
Summary: Maria's dream are going to far.......  
  
Spoilers: Takes after "Tale of Two Parties" but read authors note.  
  
Author's Note: Okay, this takes place after Tale of Two Parties but M&M are together. They got back together after New Years. So... I should stop talking and get on with the fic......  
  
*****************  
  
My World  
  
As I drift off to sleep and enter my world  
  
I start to become a different girl  
  
I'm no longer afraid of whats to come  
  
Because in my world there's nothing but fun  
  
I smile, I laugh, but I never cry  
  
Because in my world no one ever dies  
  
As seconds become minutes and minutes become hours  
  
I run through the garden flowers  
  
All of the sudden I'm in a dark and gloomy place  
  
I look into the mirror and there are tears on my face  
  
I look around, I've been here before  
  
I know I'm not in my world anymore  
  
By: Monnie  
  
******************  
  
Part 1  
  
Maria walked down a dark hallway that she didn't recognized. She took another slow step, hearing her footstep echo through the hall. She's never been more scared before. She hated being alone but she hated being alone in dark and gloomy places even more.  
  
"Michael? Hello? Anybody? Please someone, can you hear me?" Maria yelled down the hallway. She prayed that someone, anyone would hear her. She didn't care if it was a janitor or a policeman. As long as somebody came and helped get home.  
  
But no one yelled back, no one came. Maria sighed to herself and started walking down the hall some more. 'Maybe if I keep walking I'll find someone or a way out.' Maria thought to herself. Maria heard someone behind her. She turned around quickly but no one was behind her.  
  
"Get yourself together, DeLuca." Maria told herself as she began to walk again. Again Maria heard someone behind her. She could almost feel the person's breathe on her neck. Maria turned around again, but found nothing. She started to get even more scared.  
  
"Please, god. Help me." Maria whispered. Maria began to walked faster hoping she would find some ending to this dark hallway that scared her so much.  
  
She than started to jog, having the feeling that someone was behind her once more. Her jog then turned into a full out run. Maria ran as fast as she could, but no matter how fast she ran, she still had that feeling that someone was right behind her.  
  
Maria stopped running and turned around. She found nothing but the dark and gloomy hallway.  
  
"Hello? Is anyone there? Please someone, if your there please come out?" Maria begged to the darkness. She didn't think she could take any more of this. Maria started to walk backwards, slowly.  
  
'Maybe if I walk backwards I'll be able to see whoever is behind me.' Maria thought to herself. Maria tried to look down the hallway for someone but it was no use. It was too dark to see anything beyond 2 feet ahead of herself. Maria sighed to herself.  
  
"Your really loosing it, DeLuca." Maria said to herself. "There's no one here." Maria turned around and started walking again. It seemed like she was walking forever and still the hallway was the same.  
  
"Mariaaaaaa." A whispered ran through the hall. A chill ran up Maria's spine. She's never been more scared in her life.  
  
"Hello?" Maria yelled back at the whisper.  
  
"It's your tuuuuurn, Mariaaaaa." The whisper echoed through the hall. Maria slowly turned around in a circle.  
  
'Where is that coming from?' Maria asked herself. The whisper seemed as if it was right behind her but when she turned around no one was there. And what did it mean by 'it's your turn?' Maria prayed that someone would come and help her.  
  
"Please someone, help me! PLEASE!" Maria yelled through the halls.  
  
"No one can help you, Mariaaaaa." The whisper told her. Maria couldn't seem to find her breathe. Every moment that she was in this hallway she got even more scared. Maria wanted drop to the floor and cry.  
  
But she wouldn't do that, she had to be strong. She had to keep walking. Maria started to walk more, trying to not think of the whisper that seemed to fade away after it's last message. But then she heard it again.  
  
"Mariaaaaa." The whisper echoed, scaring Maria even more. Maria just ignored it and kept walking.  
  
'Just keep walking, just keep walking.' Maria said to herself. 'Don't listen to anything else. Just keep walking.' Maria repeated to herself.  
  
"You can't walk away from what's all around you, Mariaaaa." The whisper told her. Another chill ran up Maria's spine, but she kept walking. She wouldn't let this whisper get to her.  
  
"Mariaaaa." The whisper said again.  
  
"WHAT? What do you want?" Maria yelled finding some courage that she had inside of her.  
  
"You, Mariaaaa." The whisper told her.  
  
"If you want me so badly then come out and show yourself." Maria yelled. She was proud of herself for being or sounding so brave.  
  
"In time, you'll see, Mariaaaa." The whispered told her. Maria shook her head and started to run again as fast as she could.  
  
Maria ran and ran trying to get away from the whisper that scared her so much. But then she heard a voice that she loved more than anything.  
  
"Maria!" Michael's voice echoed. Maria stopped running and looked down the dark hallway.  
  
"Michael? Michael, are you here? Please help me, Michael." Maria yelled through the hall. Maria then heard an evil laugh run through the hallway. She has never heard a laugh like that before.  
  
You could just hear the evil in the laugh. Maria started to walk backwards again, afraid to turn around. Then she heard it again.  
  
"Looking for someone, Mariaaa?" The whisper asked her. Maria didn't answer it, she just kept walking backwards. Praying that she would find an end to this hallway from hell.  
  
"Mariaaa." The whisper echoed again.  
  
"F*ck off." Maria yelled getting angry but yet still more scared than ever. Then she heard the evil laugh again. A tear rolled down Maria's cheek.  
  
Maria has never been more scared of anything in her whole life. She always hated the darkness and now she was in the darkness with a whisper that enjoyed scaring the sh!t out of her.  
  
Maria turned around and started to walk fast. Hoping, no praying that the whisper would leave her alone. Praying that someone would come and take her away from this hell hole, that some people would call a hallway.  
  
Maria started to pick up speed as she heard someone behind her again, not wanting to turn around or run away. She just kept walking, faster with each step.  
  
Maria then stopped walking, wanting to hear how close the person or thing was to her. The footsteps that she heard seemed to be almost right behind her. Afraid to face what was behind her Maria just kept walking, slower this time.  
  
She heard the footstep behind her speed up, finally Maria turned around and found nothing. She started to breathe heavily. Maria walked backwards afraid she would hear the footstep again.  
  
'It's okay. Everything will be okay.' Maria told herself as she kept walking backwards. 'Nothing is going to happen to you.' Maria said, trying to convince herself.  
  
Maria stopped walking and tried to listen to what was around her. But all she could hear was her heart pounding against her chest and her breath going in and out. Maria held her breath and listened again.  
  
But she still heard breathing. How could she hear breathing if she was holding her breathe? Maria kept listening to the breathing. It sounded as if it was right behind her. Maria let out her breathe that she was holding.  
  
"Mariaaa!" She heard the whisper say, but this time it wasn't a whisper. It was a normal voice and it sounded as if it was right behind her. Maria slowly turned around.  
  
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh." Maria screamed.........  
  
TBC 


	2. Chapter 2

Part 2  
  
Maria sat up from the bed. She looked around, she wasn't in the dark hallway anymore. Sweat covered her body and she was breathing heavily. Michael sat up and looked at her.  
  
"Are you okay?" Michael asked her concerned. Maria didn't look at him she just kept breathing in and out, in and out.  
  
"Maria?" Michael called her name. Maria looked at Michael.  
  
"What?" She asked in a while little kids voice. Michael chuckled, he loved it when she did that.  
  
"Are you okay?" He asked again. Maria nodded her head, and laid back down. "What was it?"  
  
"Just a nightmare." Maria told him, afraid to shut her eye's. Michael laid back down and pulled Maria close to him.  
  
"A nightmare huh? Then you should stay close." Michael said into her ear. Maria giggled and faced Michael.  
  
"I should huh?" Maria said kissing Michael on the lips. Michael ran his hand under Maria's shirt and pushed her closer.  
  
"Yes, you should." He said bring Maria into a passionate kiss. Michael rolled on top of Maria, with his lips still attached to Maria's. Michael pulled away and stared into Maria's eye's. He smiled at her and went back to her lips.  
  
-----  
  
Maria walked into the crashdown for her morning shift. Liz smiled at her best friend and followed her to the backroom.  
  
"Hey Maria. You okay? You look tired." Liz told her while Maria put her stuff in her locker.  
  
"Ya, I'm fine. I just didn't get much sleep last night." Maria told Liz. Liz smirked.  
  
"Ooooooh, Michael again?" Liz asked and then winked at her. Maria giggled and hit Liz on the shoulder.  
  
"Ha ha ha, I just had this nightmare. No big deal." Maria told her. Liz shrugged her shoulders.  
  
"Oh really, what was the nightmare about?" Liz asked her as both of them walked out of the backroom. Maria shrugged her shoulders and tied her hair back.  
  
"I don't know... It was scary. That's all I can say about it. Like really scary." Maria tried to explain to Liz. Liz rolled her eye's.  
  
"Well, lets get back to work." Liz told her. Maria smiled at her and nodded her head.  
  
About an hour later Michael walked in for his shift. Maria smiled when she saw Michael. How could she even think about breaking up with him? She loved him, and he loved her. Michael walked up to Maria and gave her a kiss on the cheek.  
  
"Hey." Michael said to her. Maria smiled at him.  
  
"Hey." She said back.  
  
"What time does your shift end?" He asked her.  
  
"Umm, at noon. What about you." Maria asked him.  
  
"One, so you gunna wait for me?" Michael asked with a smirk on her face.  
  
"Sorry spaceboy but I'm gunna head home and get some sleep. I didn't get much last night." Maria told him.  
  
"Oh sorry about that." Michael told her with a smirk. Maria laughed at Michael and shook her head.  
  
"No, it's just the nightmare kinda kept me up." Maria told him. Michael nodded his head and headed to the backroom.  
  
-----  
  
Maria got home after her shift and went to her bedroom. Her mom was out of town for about 2 weeks. She didn't mind, sometimes she liked having the house to herself. But she would usually stay the night at Michael's when her mom was out of town.  
  
Maria laid down and closed her eye's. She was so tired, all she wanted to do is sleep. Maria heard a noise and opened her eye's. She got off her bed and opened her bedroom door. She walked into what she thought was her hallway.  
  
But all of the sudden it turned into the hallway that was in her nightmare last night. But this time it wasn't just one long hallway, it was a hallway with turns that lead to probably other long dark hallways. Maria turned around and tried to go back into her bedroom, but she saw nothing but darkness. Her bedroom had disappeared.  
  
Maria started to walk slowly down the hallway that she hated so much. She thought she heard someone behind her but she ignored it, knowing if she turned around nothing would be there. Maria stopped walking wondered what way she should go. She sighed to herself and turned right.  
  
"Your back, Mariaaa." The whisper that scared Maria the last time said. Maria just kept walking.  
  
"Your mine, Mariaaa." The whisper echoed through the hallways. Maria didn't know which way the whisper was coming from. It seemed as if it was everywhere. Maria shivered and kept walking.  
  
A brush of wind came from behind her. Maria turned around. 'If there was wind coming from that way. That means there has to be door or a way out.' Maria said to herself. She started to run the other way. Hoping she would find a way out. Then she saw it.  
  
It was a door. Maria ran faster, wanting to reach the door. She finally reached it and opened the door. It was her bedroom and Michael was in it. He was looking at the picture of him and Maria, that Maria had next to her bed. Maria tried to walk in but a clear class door was blocking her. Then all of sudden someone came behind Michael with a knife.  
  
"Michael! Behind you!" Maria yelled. Michael couldn't hear her behind the class that was blocking her. Maria pounded on the class, hoping she would break it, but it didn't.  
  
The person that was behind Michael took his knife and stabbed Michael in the back. Michael dropped the picture frame breaking it. Maria heard Michael yell in pain. Maria pounded on the class again.  
  
"NO!" Maria screamed as she pounded harder on the class. She felt the bruises forming on her hands. "Michael! Please god, don't let this happen." Maria screamed.  
  
Michael fell to the floor and the person who stabbed him seemed to disappear. Michael crawled to the class door and placed his bloody hand on it. Maria fell to the floor with tears in her eye's. She placed her hand where Michael's was.  
  
"Michael...." Maria whispered. Michael looked into her eye's. She saw all the love in them. More tears poured out of her eye's. Maria than heard the evil laugh again. The one she heard last time. But Maria didn't look anywhere else than Michael's eye's.  
  
"I lu... love y.. you." Michael whispered to her. With that Michael's hand slid down the class door, leaving a blood trail. Maria screamed in pain.  
  
"Michael! Michael! Please get up! MICHAEL!" Maria screamed. "This isn't real. This isn't real. This isn't real. THIS ISN'T REAL!" Maria screamed. Maria pounded her arm against the wall. "Wake up, Maria! WAKE UP MARIA!" Maria screamed. But she didn't she just stayed there in the hallway with her dead lover. "Please god, let this be a dream." Maria cried. "Please... please..."  
  
---- 


	3. Chapter 3

Part 3  
  
"Maria! Maria, wake up." Michael said while shaking Maria gently. Maria's eye's flew open. Maria gasped for air, Michael pulled her into a hug. Maria hugged Michael tighter than ever.  
  
"It wasn't real." Maria whispered. She thanked god that it was just a really really bad nightmare.  
  
"Shhh, are you okay?" He asked her. Maria pulled away and nodded her head.  
  
"Ya, what time is it?" She asked him as she wiped some sweat off her forehead.  
  
"It's 2:30. Maria what the hell happened to your arm?" Michael asked her. Maria gave Michael a weird look and then looked at her arm. Maria's eye's widen as she looked at the big bruise that was on her arm. She then thought back at her nightmare.  
  
flashback  
  
"This isn't real. This isn't real. This isn't real. THIS ISN'T REAL!" Maria screamed. Maria pounded her arm against the wall.  
  
end of flashback  
  
"I must have hit it against something." Maria told him. Michael gave Maria a weird look and then shrugged his shoulders as he sat down on the bed.  
  
"So are you going to stay over at my apartment tonight?" Michael asked her. Maria didn't answer him, she just kept staring at her arm. "Maria?"  
  
"Oh, umm, ya. I want to stay over tonight." Maria told him.  
  
"Oh, can't stand to be alone?" Michael asked with a chuckle.  
  
"More than you know." Maria told him. Michael smirked and gave Maria a kiss on the lips before he got off the bed.  
  
"Oh ya, Max wants to have a meeting tonight at 8:30." Michael told her.  
  
"Where?" Maria asked him getting off her bed.  
  
"My apartment. Don't be late." Michael told her.  
  
"Looks who talking." Maria said to Michael. Michael glared at Maria.  
  
"I won't be late because it will be at my apartment." Michael gave Maria one last passionate kissed before heading out of her window. Maria watched as Michael walked away from her house. She shut the window and headed to the bathroom.  
  
Maria walked into the bathroom and shut the door. She pulled her arm up and looked at it in the mirror. 'How could this be?' Maria asked herself. 'It was a dream. It wasn't real!' Maria yelled in her head. 'Maybe I hit it when I was sleeping.' Maria nodded her head. 'Ya, Michael's always telling me that I move a lot when I sleep. It probably gets worse when your having a nightmare.' Maria sighed.  
  
"It was just a dream." Maria said out loud.  
  
----  
  
Michael walked into his apartment and found Max sitting down watching T.V. Michael sat next to Max and took the remote from him.  
  
"So tell me again why you didn't just call Maria and tell we were meeting here?" Max asked Michael. Michael glared at Max.  
  
"I just wanted to see her, Maxwell. I'm sure if it was Liz you would do the same thing." Michael told him as he flipped through the channels. "So what's this meeting all about anyway? Are we in some kind of danger?" Michael asked him.  
  
"I'll explain everything at 8:30 tonight. If I thought we were in serious danger, I wouldn't waste anytime telling you guys. It's just something I need to say." Max told Michael. Michael shrugged his shoulders.  
  
"Whatever you say Maxwell."  
  
-----  
  
Maria was putting some ice on her bruise. She was so tired but she didn't want to go back to sleep. She was afraid she would have another nightmare. A worse one than before. If there was anything worse than loosing the one you love most in the world.  
  
Maria sighed and sat down on the couch. She turned the T.V. on hoping it would keep her awake. Maria flipped through the channels and couldn't find anything to watch. She got off the couch and headed to her bedroom.  
  
Maria walked into her bedroom and shivered. 'Why is it so cold in here?' Maria looked around her bedroom and notice her window was open. Maria's eye's widen. She was sure you closed the window after Michael left.  
  
Maria walked over to the window, she peaked her head outside to see if anyone was there. Nothing, Maria sighed and shut the window. 'Your really loosing it.' Maria told herself. She walked to her bed and laid down.  
  
She was so tired, she just wanted to get some sleep. Maria's eye's started to get heavy. She closed them, but then quickly opened them. But she couldn't fight it any longer, Maria closed her eye's and drifted off the dreamland.  
  
Ring  
  
Maria opened her eye's. It was the phone, she moaned as she got up and answered the phone.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hey Maria."  
  
"Hey Liz. What's up?" Maria asked sitting back down on her bed.  
  
"Nothing much. You sound tired did you get some sleep?" Liz asked concerned.  
  
"Just a little. But I'm still kinda tired." Maria told Liz.  
  
"Awww, poor thing. So did you hear about the meeting at Michael's?" Liz asked her.  
  
"Ya, what do you think it's about?" Maria asked playing with the phone cord.  
  
"I don't know. I hope it isn't about another star dying though." Liz joked. Maria giggled remembering the last time Max called a meeting out of nowhere.  
  
"Ya, me too. So how are you guys anyway?" Maria asked her.  
  
"We are so much better, now that my dad is cool with Max again. I'm just so happy, things seem to be getting better. I mean you and Michael are back together, me and Max are great. And there hasn't been any alien things going on lately." Liz told Maria.  
  
"Ya, I kinda miss though. I felt like I was in some T.V. show." Maria told Liz. Liz laughed.  
  
"Oh so you want some big adventure. Where we have to run out in the woods and hide of evil aliens." Liz said.  
  
"No way, I said I kinda miss it." Maria told Liz with a small giggle.  
  
"Well, I'm gunna go now and let you get some sleep." Liz told Maria. Maria looked down and noticed the broken picture flame that was on the floor. It was the same picture Michael had dropped in her dream. With the same shattered glass. The hairs on the back of Maria's neck went up.  
  
"Maria? Are you there?" Liz asked.  
  
"Ya, I'm here." Maria said.  
  
"Oh well, I'll see you tonight then. Bye." Liz said.  
  
"Bye babe." Maria said before she hung up the phone. Maria's hand was shaking as she looked at the picture frame that was broken. The phone rang making Maria dropped the picture.  
  
"Hello?" Maria answered the phone in a shaken voice.  
  
"Mariaaa,"  
  
------ 


	4. Chapter 4

Part 4  
  
Maria's hands started to shake even more. She couldn't move, she couldn't move. She just held on to the phone. She then heard a laugh, but it wasn't the same one in her nightmare. It was a friendly laugh.  
  
"Did I scare you, Maria?" Kyle asked. Maria let out a sigh of relief.  
  
"Kyle! What are you doing scaring me like that?" Maria asked Kyle.  
  
"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you that much." Kyle told her.  
  
"So, what did you need?" Maria asked Kyle picking up the picture frame she dropped and throwing it away in the trash.  
  
"Oh, I thought you would need a ride to Michael's, since your mom has the car and she's out of town." Kyle told her.  
  
"Awww, thanks Kyle." Maria told him. She really didn't feel like walking to Michael's apartment alone.  
  
"No problem. I'll pick you up around 8:15 or 8:20." Kyle told her.  
  
"Ya, okay. Thanks again." Maria said.  
  
"Your welcome. Bye Maria."  
  
"Bye Kyle." Maria said while hanging up the phone. Maria got down on the floor and started picking up the pieces of glass. 'How did this happen?' Maria asked herself. 'I must have hit my arm on the dresser when I was sleeping, and it knocked the picture down.' Maria tried to convince herself.  
  
"Ouch!" Maria said as a piece of glass cut her hand. Maria threw away the pieces of glass and walked to the bathroom. Maria ran some warm water over her hand and washed the blood away. Maria got out the first aid kit and fixed up her cut.  
  
She wrapped her hand in a bandage and taped it up. Maria smiled at herself, for being able to do this with one hand. Maria grabbed a wet cloth and walked back to her bedroom, to clean up the blood that was on her floor. When Maria walked into her bedroom she noticed the window was open again.  
  
"What the..?" Maria said out loud. Maria walked to her window and closed it for the third time today. She shrugged her shoulders and walked to the other side of her bed and cleaned the blood off the floor.  
  
------  
  
Everyone was at Michael's apartment waiting for Max to tell them what he wanted to say. Max was standing up, Michael was on the couch with Maria on his lap. Liz sitting down on the chair close to Max, while Kyle and Isabel were sitting next to Michael on the couch.  
  
"Well, we're all here. What's are you mind, Maxwell?" Michael asked him.  
  
"Okay, lately I've been having this feeling...." Max paused for a little bit. "This feeling that something bad is going to happen." Everyone looked at each other.  
  
"Wait a minute are you saying that you think something is going to happen to one of us?" Isabel asked her brother.  
  
"No, yes, I mean no. I'm just saying I've been having this feeling, that something going to happen. And since lately we haven't had anything going out that involves aliens, I just thought we should be on the look out. Because usually when nothing happens for a while in means..." Max was cut in by Kyle.  
  
"That something big is coming to happen." Kyle added. Max nodded his head.  
  
"Now, I'm not saying we should be hiding. I'm saying that we should just be careful. If anything weird happens we have to tell each other. I don't want anything to happen to anyone." Max said, everyone nodded their heads.  
  
"Okay, is that all?" Isabel asked. Max nodded his head. "Well, I would love to stay here and chat but I have a husband to get home to. See you guys tomorrow." Isabel said before leaving.  
  
"I should go too." Kyle said as he walked to the door. "Maria are you coming?" Kyle asked her.  
  
"No, I'm staying here tonight." Maria told him. Kyle smirked and nodded his head.  
  
"Okay, bye you guys." Liz turned to Max.  
  
"I should be heading home too. I have an early shift again." Liz told Max. Max nodded his head.  
  
"I'll drive you home." Max told her. Liz smiled at Max.  
  
"Okay. Bye Maria." Liz said as her and Max left.  
  
"Bye." Maria said back. Maria got off Michael's lap and walked to the kitchen Michael followed her and sat on a stool. Maria poured herself some soda.  
  
"Ouch!" Maria said as she put the soda bottle back in the fig. Michael looked at Maria's hand and just noticed the bandage.  
  
"What did you do to your hand?" Michael asked her. Maria looked at her hand.  
  
"Oh, I cut it." Maria told him, while sitting down next to her.  
  
"Doing what?" He asked her while taking her hand and looking at it.  
  
"I was picking up some glass. My picture from fell off my small dresser next to my bed and it broke." Maria explained to him. Michael just nodded his head.  
  
"Did you clean it?" He asked her. Maria raised her eyebrows.  
  
"Did I clean it?" Maria repeated. "If you call putting it under warm water cleaning it, then yes I did." Maria told him. Michael sighed.  
  
"Maria, your suppose to clean a cut. Or it could get all infective. "Michael told her. "Come on, I'll clean it." Michael said as he pulled Maria to the bathroom. Maria sat down on the toilet as Michael got the cut cleaner out.  
  
"Michael, you really don't have to clean it. I mean look it's fine. It won't get infective." Maria blabbed. Michael chuckled at Maria. "What's so funny?" Maria asked him.  
  
"Your afraid of some cleaner sh!t." Michael told her. Maria glared up at Michael.  
  
"So.... It stings. The cut hurts bad enough, I don't need you putting some stingy stuff on it and making it worse." Maria told him. Michael rolled his eye's and put some on the cleaner on a cloth.  
  
"Give me your hand." Michael told her. Maria gave Michael her hand that didn't have the cut on it. "Your other hand, Maria."  
  
Maria glared at Michael again and gave her the hand with the cut on it. Michael unwrapped her hand and put the cloth over her cut. Maria winced when the cloth touched her hand.  
  
"Stop being such a little baby." Michael told her.  
  
"You know Michael, I'm gunna remember this when you want some nookie." Maria told Michael. Michael glared at Maria and took the cloth off her cut and looked at it.  
  
"There, now it won't get infective." Michael told her while wrapping her hand in a new bandage. Maria smiled at Michael and leaned forward to give him a kiss on the lips.  
  
"Thanks spaceboy." Maria told him. Michael smiled and brought Maria into a passionate kissed. Maria wrapped her arms around Michael's neck and pulled him closer to her. Michael placed his hand under Maria's thighs and lifted her up, taking her to his bedroom.  
  
------ 


	5. Chapter 5

Part 5  
  
It was 2:30 in the morning and Maria still hadn't gone to sleep. She was so tired but she didn't want to have another nightmare. Max had came back to the apartment around midnight. Maria giggled to herself remember when she asked Max what took him so long?  
  
Maria looked at Michael who was sleeping next to her. She smiled and gave him a kiss on the lips. Maria couldn't help it anymore, she had to get some sleep. She closed her eye's and let her body fall into dreamland.  
  
Maria didn't see a hallway anymore, she just saw blood everywhere. It was all over the place. All over her all over the walls the floor. Maria tried to rub it off but more blood seemed to appear.  
  
Maria opened her eye's and gasped. She looked over at the clock it was 3:30. She was sleeping for an hour. Maria sighed and got out of bed and walked to the kitchen. She need some coffee to keep her awake.  
  
Maria grabbed some coffee and quietly got a mug. She poured some water in the mug and warmed it up the microwave. Maria was watching the mug in the microwave when someone behind her tapped her shoulder. Maria gasped and turned around.  
  
"Max, you scared me." Maria said in a whisper.  
  
"Sorry. I didn't mean to." Max said back to her.  
  
"Oh my gosh, did I wake you? I'm so sorry." Maria told Max. Max shook his head.  
  
"No, I was kinda awake anyway." Max explained to her.  
  
"Oh, I can't get to sleep either." Maria told him.  
  
"Why are you getting coffee then? Won't that keep you up?" Max asked her. Max looked down at Maria's hand and noticed that it was shaking. "Maria, are you okay?"  
  
"Ya, I just had a nightmare. No big deal. I just don't feel like going to sleep." Maria told him. Max gave Maria a look and then nodded his head.  
  
"Oh a nightmare. I thought Michael was keeping you up again." Max joked with a smirk on his face. Maria hit Max's shoulder playfully.  
  
"Very funny." Maria said as she turned to the microwave and took out the mug. "You know your one to talk, I'm not the one who came back at midnight." Maria said while putting the coffee mix in the hot water.  
  
"We were just talking." Max said with a smirk. Maria giggled and patted Max on the back.  
  
"Oh, is that what they call it these days?" Maria joked. Max laughed.  
  
"Night Max." Maria said before heading back to the bedroom. Max sighed and went back to couch. But then he got that feeling again. That bad feeling that he was talking about before.  
  
Max tried to ignore the feeling but it seemed to just get stronger. Max went to Michael bedroom and opened the door.  
  
"Michael, Maria get up!" Max yelled.  
  
"Max, whats wrong?" Maria asked him getting off the bed. The bad feeling got even stronger. Michael woke up.  
  
"Maxwell, whats the problem?" Michael asked him. Max just stood there, trying to shake the feeling away.  
  
"Something is going to happen. I can feel it. It's close." Max told them. Michael and Maria looked at each and then at Max.  
  
"Max, what are you talking about?" Michael asked finally getting out of his bed. Max looked at Maria and noticed her shaking hand again. Max grabbed Maria's hand.  
  
Flash  
  
blood, Maria screaming in pain, blood  
  
End of Flash  
  
Max gasped and fell to the floor. Michael rushed to Max's side. Maria just looked at Max concerned.  
  
"Max? Are you okay?" Michael asked him. Max nodded his head and kept looking at Maria. Max got up and walked to Maria. The bad feeling had gone away.  
  
"What?" Maria asked Max wondering why he kept looking at her.  
  
"I had a flash when I touched your had, Maria. And it wasn't a good one. I saw bad things in it." Max told her. Michael walked up to Max.  
  
"What do you mean bad things?" Michael asked him.  
  
"I just saw blood and Maria screaming." Max told him. Michael grabbed Maria and looked into her eye's.  
  
"Maria has anything happen to you?" Michael asked her. He couldn't have anything happen to Maria. Not when he just got her back. Maria shook her head no.  
  
"No, it was just a nightmare. There's on need to get all worried about it." Maria told Michael.  
  
"Are you sure?" Michael asked her.  
  
"Yes, I'm sure. Ya, they get really freaky sometimes and I don't feel like sleeping. But their just nightmares." Maria told him. Michael looked at Maria and nodded his head. He gave her a kiss on the lips and hugged her.  
  
"Sorry, I freaked out like that. It's just that feeling was so strong and then I touched you." Max said. "Maybe I should get some sleep." Max said as he left the room.  
  
'Maybe I should tell them about the nightmares.' Maria thought to herself. 'They are getting pretty bad.' Maria shook her head. 'No, they're just nightmares, just dreams. They aren't real. There's no need to make a big deal out of them.' Maria told herself.  
  
"Come on, Maria. Let's get some sleep." Michael told her pulling her to the bed. Michael got under the covers and pulled Maria close to him. He wrapped his arms Maria in a protective way and drifted off to sleep.  
  
Maria closed her eye's and drifted off to sleep with Michael. But she didn't have a nightmare this time. She just sleep peacefully in Michael's protective arms.  
  
---  
  
Max laid down the couch. He knew Maria wasn't telling them something. But he thought if it was something really that big, she would have told them already. Max sighed to himself. He needed to get some sleep. He was so tired, those feelings that something was going to happen have been getting stronger.  
  
He didn't know if they were alien related or not. All he knew was that they were bad. And they all needed to be watch out for anything. Max closed his eye's and drifted off to sleep.  
  
--- 


	6. Chapter 6

Part 6  
  
Maria woke up the next morning refreshed. She hadn't gotten a good night sleep for two nights. She smiled to herself. She knew they were just nightmares. Maria sighed and rested her head more on Michael's chest.  
  
Michael opened his eye's. He pulled Maria closer to him. Not wanting to let her go. What happened last night with Max, scared Michael. If something ever happened to Maria, he wouldn't know what to do.  
  
She was the reason why, he would have stayed on earth. She was the reason why he woke up in the morning. She was the reason why he loved, why he let himself love. Michael kissed the top of Maria's head.  
  
"Morning." Maria said in a sleepy voice.  
  
"Morning." Michael said back to her, while she turned around to face him. "Did you sleep good?" Michael asked concerned.  
  
"Yep, not one nightmare." Maria told Michael with a smile. Maria sighed and kissed Michael's lips.  
  
"Come on, lets go eat some breakfast." Michael said as he got out of bed and headed to the kitchen. Maria sighed and followed Michael.  
  
"Morning, Maxwell." Michael said.  
  
"Morning. Where's Maria?" Max asked.  
  
"I'm right here." Maria said walking in the kitchen.  
  
"How did you sleep?" Max asked, wondering if she had another nightmare like the one he saw in his flash. Maria rolled her eye's.  
  
"If your asking if I had a nightmare, then no. I didn't." Maria told Max while sitting down on the stool. "See I told you it was nothing." Maria told him with a smile. Max just nodded his head as he got up and headed for the door.  
  
"I'm gunna go eat breakfast at the crashdown. See you guys later." Max said before he left.  
  
-----  
  
Maria walked up to her door. She got her purse and looked for her key's. She found them and was about to unlock the door, when she noticed the door was already open. Not all the way open but still open.  
  
Maria slowly walked into her house. It was so cold, Maria closed the door and walked around the house.  
  
"Mom? Are you here?" Maria yelled through the house. She knew her mom wasn't due back for another week and a half, but she could have come home early.  
  
Maria sighed and walked to her bedroom. She put down her purse and looked at the window. She smiled to herself, it was closed. Maybe she wasn't loosing it totally. Maria rolled her eye's and headed for the bathroom to take a shower.  
  
----  
  
Michael was sitting down watching T.V. Michael sat up, he got a painful feeling in his stomach. He got them a lot lately. 'Maybe I'm catching something.' Michael thought to himself. Michael walked to the kitchen to pour him some water. But the pain went away.  
  
Michael sighed to himself and sat back down on the couch. His thoughts turned to Maria. He knew there was something she wasn't telling him. He could see it in her eye's. But he didn't want to push her. He knew she would come to him in time. He just hoped that when she did come to him, it wouldn't be to late. Max walked into the apartment and sat down next to Michael.  
  
"Michael can I talk to you for a minute?" Max asked him. Michael nodded his head and turned off the T.V.  
  
"Go ahead, Max." Michael said giving him his attention.  
  
"I think that Maria's hiding something from you." Max was cut off by Michael's voice.  
  
"Maxwell, before you go any further, I have to say something. I know Maria's not telling me something about herself. She's not hiding something. She's just not telling me something. She probably thinks it's not big deal." Michael explained.  
  
"How do you know?" Max asked Michael.  
  
"I just do. Max, Maria and I have this connection. I can look into her eye's and know when something's wrong. And I know something's wrong with her. But I also know, that she doesn't think it's a big deal. Give her time. She tell me." Michael said and then turned on the T.V.  
  
Max sighed and thought about how much Michael has changed. The old Michael would have demanded that Maria would tell him what was going on, or not cared at all. But Michael cared and loved Maria very much. She has changed Michael or brought out the real Michael, that was deep inside of him all along.  
  
-----  
  
Maria got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself. She walked into her bedroom and got dressed, everyone was meeting at the crashdown later on tonight. She was still tired, she did get some sleep last night but no enough.  
  
Maria sighed to herself and walked to the bathroom the blow dry her hair. She wanted to go sleep afterwards. Maria wiped the steam off the mirror and started to blow dry her hair. Maria stopped her blow-dryer, she thought she heard footsteps.  
  
Maria shook her head. 'How could you hear footsteps with your blow-dryer?' Maria asked herself. Maria finished blow-drying her hair and walked back to her bedroom. She walked to her bed and laid down. She could get some sleep before she would go to the crashdown. Maria closed her eye's and slowly drifted off toe sleep.  
  
"Mariaaa, Mariaaa, Mariaaa."  
  
Maria opened her eye's and looked around her. She was in her room still. She sighed to herself and noticed her window was open again. 'What?' Maria walked to her window and looked at for a little bit. Now she knew she closed it this time.  
  
"Mariaaa."  
  
Maria turned around and looked around her bedroom. No one was there. Maria's hands started to shake. She needed Michael right now. She needed to be his strong arms, his protective and safe arms. Maria was about to walk to phone when someone pulled her from behind.  
  
Maria screamed and sat up from her bed. She looked around and noticed she was still in her bed. 'It was just a dream.' Maria said to herself. Maria looked over at her window and thanked god it was still closed.  
  
Maria looked over at the clock and cursed under her breathe. She was a half an hour late. Maria got out of bed and quickly brushed her hair and headed out the door.  
  
Maria hugged herself, it was freezing outside. Maria cursed herself for not calling someone to pick her up. She really didn't want to walk to the crashdown by herself. Maria stopped walking when she got the feeling that someone was watching her.  
  
Maria shook her head and started walking again. Maria heard footsteps behind her. She ignored them and continued to walk. The footsteps got closer, all of the sudden someone grabbed Maria's waist.  
  
"Gottcha!" Someone said. Maria gasped and turned around.  
  
"Kyle, don't you have anything better to do, than to scare the sh!t out of me?" Maria asked him.  
  
"Sorry, your just so easy these days." Kyle told her. "I saw you walking to the and just couldn't help myself." Maria rolled her eye's.  
  
"Where's your car?" Maria asked him. Kyle pointed to the back of him. Maria saw Kyle's car about 20 feet away. "Let's go, we're already like 30 minutes late." Kyle nodded his head and headed for his car.  
  
------  
  
"I just called Maria on her cell phone. She said that her and Kyle are on their way." Liz said sitting down next to Max.  
  
"Why are they late?" Michael asked her. Liz shook her head.  
  
"I don't know. I didn't ask. So Isabel isn't coming? Why not?" Liz asked.  
  
"She said her and Jesse are going to stay in tonight." Max told them.  
  
"I wonder what they are gunna do?" Michael asked with a smirk. Liz giggled and Max frowned.  
  
"Please, I don't need to hear about my sister's sex life." Max said covering his ear's. Michael and Liz laughed harder.  
  
"I guess we missed the big joke." Kyle said walking into the crashdown with Maria right behind him. Maria walked to the table they were all sitting down at and sat next to Michael.  
  
"Why are you guys late?" Michael asked giving Maria a kiss on the cheek.  
  
"Well, I took a nap and woke up late." Maria told them. "I don't know about Kyle."  
  
"Oh, I just forgot." Kyle said sitting down. Maria rolled her eye's and laughed.  
  
A couple hours later Maria went in the backroom to get her jacket that she left yesterday. Everyone was getting ready to leave and Maria didn't want forget her jacket.  
  
Someone came behind her and kissed her neck. Maria smiled and turned around to give Michael a passionate kiss. But when she turned around no one was there. Maria looked around.  
  
"Mariaaa."  
  
Maria shook her head. 'This is another dream. This isn't real.' Maria told herself in her head. Maria turned around and closed her eye's. All she needed to do was wake up. That's all, and this will all be over.  
  
"Wake up." Maria whispered.  
  
Maria opened her eye's and lifted her head of Michael's shoulder. She sighed to herself. She was back at the crashdown with everyone. Michael looked at Maria.  
  
"Are you ready to go?" Michael asked her. Maria nodded her head.  
  
"Let me get my jacket." Maria told him as she got out of the both and headed for the backroom. Michael nodded his head and followed Maria.  
  
Maria grabbed her jacket and put it on. Michael stared at her and crossed his arms across his chest. Maria tried to ignore his staring but he wouldn't stop.  
  
"What?" Maria asked him.  
  
"I'm just waiting for you to finally tell me what's wrong with you." Michael said to her. Maria rolled her eye's and walked up to Michael.  
  
"There's nothing wrong with me." Maria simply stated.  
  
"Come on, Maria. I know something's been wrong for a couple of days now. Even Max notices it. Now just tell me." Michael told her. Maria sighed, there was something wrong. Its just that it wasn't really something big.  
  
"Michael, there's nothing really wrong. It's just I've been tired. I just need to get some sleep." Maria told him.  
  
"Maria, that's all you've been doing. You slept last night, before you got here, and even when you got here." Michael said. Maria sighed in frustration.  
  
"First of all, I didn't go to sleep until like 2:30 in morning last night. Second of all when I got home I didn't just sleep and took a shower and blow dried my hair, then I went to sleep. And I didn't even get a good nap, I had a nightmare." Maria was cut off by Michael.  
  
"I thought you said everything was fine." Michael said.  
  
"Everything is fine. It's just a nightmare." Maria told him. She really didn't want to fight with Michael. But she knew Michael was just looking out for her.  
  
"Maria, one nightmare is fine. But a nightmare every time you go to sleep is bad." Michael told.  
  
"I don't have a nightmare every time I go to sleep." Maria snapped.  
  
"Oh ya, when's the last time you haven't had a nightmare?" Michael challenged.  
  
"Last night." Maria said with a smile. Michael glared at her as she walked by him. Michael sighed, he knew he wasn't going to win this fight. Not right now, that is.  
  
"Fine. I'm letting this go, for now. But if you have another nightmare, you tell me." Michael told her while walking out of the crashdown with her. Maria nodded her head. "No, I need you to promise."  
  
"Michael..."  
  
"Promise me, Maria." Maria sighed.  
  
"Fine, I promise." Maria told him. Michael smirked and kissed Maria on her cheek.  
  
"Now let's head to my apartment. It's freezing out here." Michael said as they walked to his bike.  
  
From far away, hiding near the darkness. Someone was watching the couple with a smirk on his face. He was so close, but yet so far.  
  
"Give me time, Mariaaa. Give me time."  
  
----- 


	7. Chapter 7

Part 7  
  
Michael and Maria walked in the apartment a half an hour later. Max was already there watching TV. Maria smiled and sat next to Max. Michael walked to the kitchen and got something to drink.  
  
"What took you so long?" Max asked them. "You left before I did."  
  
"We had to stop by Maria's and pick up some stuff." Michael explained while sitting down next to Maria. Max just nodded his head. Maria sighed and looked at Michael and then at Max.  
  
"Well, I'm going to take another shower. It's been a long day." Maria said while walking to the bathroom. Max heard the bathroom door slam and looked at Michael.  
  
"So did she tell you anything yet?" Max asked him.  
  
"Ya, I asked her what was wrong. But she doesn't think it's a big deal. She's just been tired and she just had some nightmares, that's all." Michael told Max.  
  
"Did you think she's hiding something?" Max asked him. Michael shook his head no.  
  
"I never thought she was hiding anything from me, Max. Like I said before, she thinks it's no big deal. And she's probably right, just nightmares. But I told her to tell me if they get worse." Michael answered him. Max just nodded his head.  
  
"Are you sure, Michael. Cuz I've been getting this feeling..." Michael cut him off.  
  
"Max, I asked her. I know what you mean when you say something is off. But I can't make Maria tell me something that really isn't there. If something is truly wrong then Maria will tell me. Just relax and get some sleep or something." Michael said getting a little annoyed.  
  
"Okay, I'm just worried that's all." Max told him.  
  
"I know Maxwell. Just try not to worry all the time." Michael said. Max nodded his head and got off the couch. "Where you going?"  
  
"I'm gunna go for a walk. Let go some stress." Max told him. Michael just nodded his head as Max left the apartment.  
  
-----  
  
Max sighed to himself. Michael was right, he did need to relax. He just couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to happen. He knew Michael had the feeling too, but not as strong as Max. Max turned the corner and then stopped walking. He touched the stoplight and waited for the walk sign.  
  
Flash  
  
Someone walking down the same street Max was on.  
  
End of Flash  
  
"What the hell?" Max asked out loud. Who was that in his flash? And why did he get a flash in the first place? Max had a hundred questions going through his mind. He really needed some rest. Max took a deep breath and headed back to the apartment.  
  
Max could sense the person in his flash was evil. He could feel the evil that was growing in the person blood. Max had to get back to the apartment and tell Michael. Max started to run until he finally got back to the apartment.  
  
"Max, are you okay?" Michael asked wondering why Max was out of breathe.  
  
"I just had a flash." Max told Michael.  
  
"Of what?" Michael asked as he turned off the TV.  
  
"Of some person. I could feel their evil, Michael. I know this person is here to something bad. I just don't know what." Max said as he sat down on the couch.  
  
"Did you see the face? Do you know who it is?" Michael asked getting worried.  
  
"No, I couldn't see the face. All I know for sure is that this person or alien, was out of no good. I felt it, Michael." Max explained. Michael sighed and ran his hand through his hair. Maria walked out of the bathroom in shorts and one of Michael's t-shirts. Maria noticed how tense Michael and Max were and got worried.  
  
"What's wrong?" Maria asked them. Max and Michael turned around.  
  
"Max, just got a flash when went for a walk." Michael explained to her.  
  
"Of what?" Maria asked concerned.  
  
"Something evil." Max told her.  
  
"Let's just get some sleep, tomorrow we'll get everyone together and tell them about the flash." Michael suggested. Max nodded his head in agreement.  
  
"Ya, sounds good." Max said rubbing his face. Michael patted Max on the back and headed for his bedroom. Maria didn't move, she kept staring at Max.  
  
"Are you sure you're okay?" Maria asked him.  
  
"Ya, I'm fine." Max said and gave her a smile. Maria nodded her head and followed Michael to his bedroom.  
  
------  
  
"Do you really think that Max is okay?" Maria asked Michael. Michael took off his shirt and boxers.  
  
"I'm sure Max fine. We just need to find out who this person is." Michael answered her while both them got into bed.  
  
"Do you think it's something really bad, Michael?" Maria asked getting a little worried. Michael wrapped his arms around Maria.  
  
"I don't know, Maria. But everything will be okay, I promise." Michael said sensing Maria was getting worried. He kissed her on the forehead. "Get some sleep, we'll figure everything out tomorrow." Maria nodded her head and closed her eye's.  
  
-------  
  
"Are you sure that's what you sensed?" Isabel asked Max. Everyone was once again at Michael's apartment, talking about Max's flash.  
  
"Could you tell if it was human or alien?" Kyle asked.  
  
"No, I couldn't tell if it was a man or women." Max explained. Liz rubbed Max's back, she was worried about him. Max smiled at her.  
  
"What do you think we should do?" Isabel asked.  
  
"We should just be more alert than before. We don't have any solid information to say something dangerous is going to happen. But I can still feel it. We need to be very careful until we know what's going on." Max explained. Everyone nodded in agreement.  
  
"We should head back to school, before we're late for 5th period." Liz said.  
  
"This sucks, we have fight evil aliens, FBI, and still go to school. Life just isn't fair." Kyle said while walking to the door.  
  
"Tell me about it." Maria said with a laugh.  
  
------  
  
At school Maria was in her 5th period class. She hated English, it was just so boring. Michael asked this morning about the nightmares. Maria was happy to report that she didn't have on last night. Michael had joked around about it because of him. Maria sighed, she couldn't take any more of this. Maria raised her hand and waited for the teacher to call on her.  
  
"Yes, Ms. DeLuca."  
  
"Could I go to the bathroom?" Maria asked.  
  
"Go ahead, but make it fast." Maria smiled and got out of her desk.  
  
'Thank god. I can have a break from that class. I don't think there's anything more boring than English class.' Maria said to herself as she walked down the school hallway. It was so empty, Maria could hear her own footsteps. It was kind of scarring her too, it kind of reminded her of the hallway in her dream.  
  
'Get a grip.' Maria told herself as she turned the corner and bumped into someone. Maria gasped and fell to the ground.  
  
"You know, you shouldn't be ditching class, Maria." Michael said while helping Maria up. Maria glared up at Michael.  
  
"Look who's talking." She said, Michael chuckled.  
  
"What are you doing out of class anyway?" Michael asked her.  
  
"What are you doing out of class?" Maria challenge. Michael glared at her.  
  
"I have English and it's boring as hell." Maria told him. "Now what about you?"  
  
"I have P.E. and we have sub." Michael told her. Maria rolled her eye's.  
  
"You told be me, that I shouldn't be ditching." Maria said.  
  
"And you shouldn't be." Michael said as Maria started away from him. Michael grabbed Maria's arm and pulled her towards him. Michael kissed Maria passionately. Maria pulled away from Michael's lips.  
  
"I would love to do this right now, Michael. But like you said, I shouldn't be ditching." Maria told him with a smirk. Michael glared at her, Maria gave Michael a kiss on the cheek and walked away. "See you after school." Michael shook his head and walked away.  
  
-------  
  
Maria got home after school. She was a little tired but she had to clean her room. Maria sighed, she hated cleaning her room. She always seemed to noticed that she had so much crap and so little space. Maria dropped her purse and laid down on her bed.  
  
She felt so tired, but she got a lot of sleep last night. She didn't know why she was so sleepy. Maria took off her shoes and through them across the room. That's probably why her room got so messy. She closed her eye's and drifted off to sleep.  
  
-------  
  
A person not far from Maria's house was also laying down. Getting ready to do some damage. He smiled at the thought of all the pain he will be causing.  
  
"The time is coming, Mariaaa. The time is so close."  
  
----- 


	8. Chapter 8

Part 8  
  
****************************  
  
Nightmares  
  
As I rest my head on my pillow  
  
It seem's that time is going slow  
  
I'm afraid to close my eye's  
  
Cuz when I do, I seem to cry  
  
Nightmares haunt me at night  
  
Nightmares that I can't seem to fight  
  
I try hard to stay awake  
  
But it's something my body can't take  
  
I look at the clock for the third time  
  
And i tell myself everything will be fine  
  
But the nightmares overcome me  
  
The nightmares are all I see  
  
By: Monnie  
  
***************************  
  
Maria opened her eye's and came face to face with Michael. Michael smirked up at her. Maria smiled back at him.  
  
"What are you doing here?" She asked him.  
  
"Missed you." Michael told her with a smirk. Maria smiled up at him and got out of her bed.  
  
"Really?" Maria asked as she wraped her arms around his neck. Michael nodded his head placed her strong arms around her waist. He pulled her into a passionate kiss. Maria pulled away, something was different.  
  
"Whats wrong, honey?" Michael asked her.  
  
"Honey?" All of sudden Maria felt a sharp pain in her stomach, she looked down and blood was all over her. She looked at who she thought was Michael.  
  
He was holding a bloody knife. He smiled up at her, and then laughed. That laugh, the laugh that was full of so much evil. Maria fell to the ground. She looked at her stomach again and tried to stop the blood. Maria looked up to face Michael, but he was gone.  
  
"Mariaaa." Maria started to cry.  
  
"Stop it, please. Stop, please. STOP!" Maria screamed.  
  
-------  
  
Isabel was sitting down at her and Jesse's apartment, watching T.V. But out of no where she heard someone crying. Isabel turned off the TV and got off the couch. The cries were coming from her bedroom.  
  
Isabel slowly walked towards her bedroom. She slowly pushed the door open. The cries got louder as Isabel walked inside her bedroom. She looked around, no one was here. Isabel sighed to herself and turned around.  
  
"Oh my god." Isabel yelled when she saw who was behind her. It was Maria, she was covered in blood. Isabel walked closer to her.  
  
"Stop it! Stop it! Please, someone help me!" Maria screamed. Isabel had tears in her eye's, she closed her eye's and opened them again. Maria had disapeared. Isabel looked around the room.  
  
"Maria? Are you here?" Isabel yelled. There was no response. Isabel rushed to the living-room and grabbed her jacket. She had to find Maria.  
  
--------  
  
Maria woke up and gasped for air. She got out of her bed and looked around her. She slowly turned towards her window, it was open! Maria's whole body started to shake.  
  
'I have to get to Michael.' Maria told herself. Maria looked outside, it was already dark. She didn't want to walk alone in the dark. But she had to get out of the house. She was really freaked out. Maria shut the window and grabbed her jacket and purse.  
  
She grabbed the phone and tried to call Michael, maybe he could drive here on his bike. The phone rang and rang, but no on picked it up. Maria slammed the phone down. He had to be there, he was probably playing fooseball with Max or watching some hockey game and didn't want to answer the phone. Maria then called Liz.  
  
"Come on, Liz. Pick up the phone. Please, pick up the phone." Maria said. " PICK UP THE F*CKING PHONE!" Maria screamed. But still no one answered. Maria slammed the phone again. She had to leave, she was getting so scared. Maria sighed to herself. She was going to have to walk to Michael's apartment. She didn't want to but she had too.  
  
----  
  
Isabel walked into Michael's apartment and found Max and Michael playing fooseball. Isabel slammed Michael door shut to get their attention, known that they didn't seem to listen when they were play a fooseball game.  
  
"Isabel, is there something wrong?" Max asked his sister.  
  
"Yes, there's something really wrong, and it has to do with Maria." This got Michael's attention right away.  
  
"What do you mean?" Michael asked, Isabel sighed and thought back at what had about 20 minutes ago.  
  
"I was at home, and I heard someone crying. So I walk to my bedroom, where the crying is coming from. But when I get in there, there's no one there." Isabel was cut off by Michael.  
  
"And what does this have to do with Maria?" Michael asked getting fustrated. Isabel rolled her eye's and continued.  
  
" But right when I turned around and leave my bedroom, I see Maria." Isabel paused for a second. "She was covered in blood, and crying. She screaming and yelling. Telling someone to stop it. And then she started begging for someone to help her. But when I close my eye's and open them again, she's gone." Isabel explained.  
  
"Are you sure it was Maria?" Max asked. Isabel nodded her head.  
  
"Are you it was real?" Max asked.  
  
"Max, I know it was real. I felt her pain, I felt how scared she was. She was so scared, Max. She felt as if everyone left her to die or something. The feeling was so strong." Isabel explained as tears fell from her eye's.  
  
"Did you get a flash at where Maria is?" Michael asked ready to get into action. Isabel nodded her head on.  
  
"Then we split up. We have to find Maria before it's to late. I'm gunna go check at her house first. Max you go check the Crashdown, and Isabel you go find Kyle and see if he knows where she is." Michael said taking control. Everyone nodded there heads and headed out the door.  
  
----  
  
Maria ran out of the house and locked her door. She started to walk quickly, trying to ignore any sound around her. She didn't want to stop no matter what she heard or saw. All she wanted to do is get to Michael's house and tell her what was going on.  
  
Maria heard someone behind her but kept walking faster, trying to ignore what she heard. Then all of the sudden someone pulled on Maria's shoulder. Maria turned around and saw who it was.  
  
"Michael, you scared me." Maria told him. Michael smirked at her.  
  
"Did I? My bad." Michael said.  
  
"It's okay, I was on my way to your apartment." Maria told him, relieved that he found her first.  
  
"You look scared. Are you al'ight?" Michael asked her. Maria stared at Michael for a little bit. He seemed a little different, but Maria just brushed it off.  
  
"No, I had another nightmare and it was so horrible, Michael." Tears started to roll down Maria's cheek. Michael pulled Maria into a hug.  
  
"Shhh, it's okay. Everything will be fine." Michael paused. "Mariaaa." He whispered. Maria's eye's widen, she knew it wasn't Michael. It was him.  
  
------- 


	9. Chapter 9

Part 9  
  
Maria pulled away from the person, who she thought was Michael. She looked at the person that stood in front of her. He smiled down at her and then laughed. That laugh, Maria knew that laugh. The laugh that was so full of evil.  
  
"Damn, ya got me." He said. "See, I thought I would, you know, play with cha' mind a little mo'. But I guess that isn't gunna work." He said with a smiled.  
  
Maria backed away slowly, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her towards her again.  
  
"Let me go!" Maria told him.  
  
"You know, Ria. You are one strong sexy thang. I thought you would have cracked but now. But you haven't, I tried everythang too. Opening your windows, but nothing made you crack." He told her, while his grip on got tighter.  
  
Maria pulled away and kicked him in the balls. He fell to ground and hissed at the pain. Maria started to run away hoping that he wouldn't catch up to her.  
  
The fake Michael got up and turned into Rath. Rath smiled to himself. He wasn't going to chase after her, he would let her go, for now. Rath turned around and started walking to back to his hotel, where he could do the real damage.  
  
-----  
  
Maria didn't know if Rath was chasing her or not. But she didn't want to stop running to find out. Maria was getting closer to Michael's apartment. Just a few more blocks and she was there. She turned corner and bumped into someone. Maria screamed when the person grabbed both of her arms.  
  
"Let me go!" Maria screamed.  
  
"Maria, Maria. It's okay! It's me." Maria stopped and looked at who was holding her. It was Michael, she looked into his eye's making sure it was really him, and not his evil twin. Maria sighed in relief and flew into Michael's arms.  
  
"Oh my god, Michael. I'm so scared! Thank god it's you." Maria cried into his neck. Michael held Maria tighter thanking god that she was safe and in his arms.  
  
"Shhh, it's okay, Maria. I'm here, I'm gunna protect you. I promise." Michael whispered into her ears.  
  
"No, Michael. It's not okay. They're not just nightmares. They're real, they're real!" Maria sobbed. "And Rath, he was here, Michael. He made me think he was you." Michael pulled Maria away from him, and looked into her eye's.  
  
"It's Rath? He went to you?" Michael asked her. Maria just nodded her head. "Did he hurt you, Maria? Did he touch you?" Michael asked getting even more angry.  
  
"I'm not hurt, Michael." Maria paused. "I got away." She whispered as he pulled into another protective hug.  
  
"Come on. We're gunna go back to my apartment and call Max and Isabel." He told her while they started walking. Michael stopped and looked into Maria's eye's. "I won't let him hurt you, Maria. Ever!" Maria smiled and gave Michael a passionate kiss.  
  
------  
  
Max hung up his cell phone and turned towards Liz, Isabel and Kyle. They all had worried looks on their faces. Each of them wondering what was going on.  
  
"That was Michael." Max told them.  
  
"What did he say?" Kyle asked. He felt a little guilty, now he knew why Maria was so easy to scare. He sighed to himself and prayed that she was okay.  
  
"He said, he found Maria and she's okay. But we have a big problem." Max told them.  
  
"What is it?" Liz asked.  
  
"Michael said he would explain it when we all get to his apartment. But he said Rath is here in town and to be careful." Max explained. "So let's get out here and hurry to Michael's." Everyone nodded their heads and headed out the door. Each of them having a hundred and one questions flying through their heads.  
  
-------  
  
Michael was holding Maria in his arms. She seemed so tired, all he wanted to do was to make her happy. To make her pain go away. She looked so pale, and her eye's didn't have the spark in them, that they usually have. Michael kissed Maria's head and pulled her closer.  
  
"Maria?"  
  
"Ya?"  
  
"How come you haven't told me what the nightmares are about?" Michael asked her.  
  
"What?" Maria asked trying to play stupid.  
  
"You haven't told me what the nightmares are about. So why don't you tell me?" Michael asked again. "Maybe it will make you feel better if you let it out." Maria didn't answer right away.  
  
"Michael, I...." She paused and then continued. "Why don't you do the little flash thingy." Michael nodded his head and turned more so he was facing Maria. He placed his hands on her face. The flashes pored into Michael's head. When the flashes finally stopped Michael pulled away.  
  
Sweat dripped from his forehead. He couldn't believe the things he saw. The things Maria felt, how alone she felt in the dark hallways. How she felt when she saw him die. How she felt when she thought he was the one that killed her. Michael pulled Maria into a hug.  
  
"Oh god, Maria." Michael's voice cracked. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." He kept repeating to her. Maria couldn't say anything, she just let Michael hold her. She just wanted to be in Michael's arms, she wanted to be safe, she wanted to be home. Michael's arms will always be her home to her. It's where she felt the safest.  
  
Ten minutes later the rest of the gang joined Michael and Maria. Michael explained to everyone what was going on. He didn't tell them everything about the dreams or nightmares. He just told them what they needed to know. And they didn't need to know how painful her dreams were.  
  
"What do we do?" Liz asked as she looked at her best friend. She looked so tired, and pale. But then she looked at the person next to her. Michael, was so protective of her. She knew as long as Maria was with Michael, no one could hurt her. Michael would die before he would let anything happen to Maria. She was truly loved.  
  
"For now, we don't do anything." Michael said. Everyone was in shock, this was Michael Guerin that was saying this. Michael never said that, he was always ready to fight whoever was ever hurting the people he cared about.  
  
"What?" Kyle asked. He knew he wasn't ready to fight some alien, but for Maria Kyle was willing to try. Maria became like a sister to him. And he hated seeing her like that.  
  
"Michael, don't you think we should go looking for Rath or something. I mean, come on." Isabel said. She cared about Maria. She had grown so close to her and she hated the fact that she couldn't even go sleep. She hated the fact that Maria was in so much pain. Michael didn't say anything about Maria being in pain, but it was written all over her tired and pale face.  
  
"No, I bet that's what he's waiting for. He want's us to find him. If we find him, we would be falling into his hands. We would stepping into his world. But if he goes out and trys to find us, we will be ready." Michael told them. Everyone was shocked at how Michael was showing leadership. Maria smiled and looked up at Michael. She didn't think she could have loved him more.  
  
"I agree with you. We shouldn't go out and looking for more trouble. We all need to stick together. He probably wants to take us down one by one. But if we stick together, he won't be able to do that." Max said. Everyone nodded their heads.  
  
"Well, what do we do tonight? I mean we can't all stay here tonight." Liz asked. No one said anything, until Maria finally said something.  
  
"Why don't we all stay in pairs or something?" Maria told everyone. She really didn't feel like talking but she couldn't just sit there like an idiot.  
  
"Ya, that sounds good. Me and Liz, Isabel and Kyle and Michael and Maria." Max suggested.  
  
"I hate to kill the whole plan here but what I am going to tell my husband when I come home with Kyle?" Isabel asked.  
  
"Make up something. Say Kyle had a fight with his dad or something." Michael told her. Isabel just sighed and nodded her head. She really didn't want to fight about something so small when all this was happening.  
  
"Alright then. Lets all just get some sleep." Maria winced when Max said that. "If anything, and I mean anything weird happens call Michael's apartment or just come here." Max told them. Isabel and Kyle nodded their heads and headed for the door to leave.  
  
--------  
  
Rath was sitting down in his hotel room. He was so pleased with himself, he wasn't mad that he let Maria get away. If anything he was kind of happy. That just made the game more fun. That's what this was to him, a game. Nothing more, he really didn't give a sh!t about his dupe or others.  
  
All he wanted was to have some fun. He thought about doing it to Max's little bitch Liz, but that would be to easy. Then he thought about Maria, she was a spunky little thing. She had so much fire in her, he could just tell when he looked into her eye's.  
  
Rath almost felt bad about doing this to her, almost. He smiled to himself again, he just remembered how fun it was. He knew Maria would put up a fight until the end. She wouldn't be easy, and that's what he loved about it. Rath laid down on his bed and sighed.  
  
All he had to do was wait until she fell asleep, he knew she was getting tired. He could almost feel it. She would crack sometime, she will let her guard down. And thats when he'll slip right in. The truth was he wouldn't be able to get in so easily if she wouldn't let her guard so easily. But she did, she did all the time.  
  
There were only a couple of times when Rath couldn't get in. It was probably because she was with his dupe, Michael. He would never let his guard down, not even when he was sleeping. Rath hated when she was with Michael. He would guard her like a lost treasure.  
  
He wouldn't let his guard down for a second. Rath sighed again, he just hoped that Michael would be to tired to guard Maria tonight. Because tonight was the big night, he would do some real damage tonight. All he had to do was wait, just wait for her to drift off to sleep. Just wait for her to let go, just wait for Maria to fall asleep. Then he would do what he please.  
  
----- 


	10. Chapter 10

**************************  
  
Just A Dream  
  
I wake up and scream  
  
Thank god, it was just a dream  
  
I hurry to get out of bed  
  
But dreams aren't real, thats what mom said  
  
I sighed to myself and lay back down  
  
It seems to quiet, there's not one sound  
  
I pull the covers closely  
  
Hoping they will protect me  
  
But it's just a dream, it isn't real  
  
But I can't change what I feel  
  
Then I feel strong arms around me  
  
It'll be okay now, you'll see  
  
I'm okay, it was just a dream  
  
And nothing is what it seems  
  
By: Monnie  
  
********************************  
  
Part 10  
  
Michael and Maria were in his bedroom laying down on his bed. Maria was getting tired, she knew she wouldn't be able to hold out much longer. She was getting really tired and she her back was killing her.  
  
"Michael?" Maria asked in a tired voice.  
  
"Ya?"  
  
"My back hurts, could you give me a massage?" Maria asked Michael. Michael sighed and sat up.  
  
"Ya, turn over." Michael told her. Maria smiled and did what she was told. Michael had the best hands, they were so strong and perfectly shaped. He knew how to use them well too. Michael got on top of Maria and started to massage her back.  
  
"Am I to heavy?" Michael asked her. Maria just nodded her head no. Maria moaned in pleasure, her back was feeling better already. Michael continued to massage her back. Maria felt her eye's to get heavy, she couldn't fight it anymore. Maria finally let herself go and drifted off to sleep.  
  
Michael noticed Maria was asleep. He sighed to himself and thought about waking her up. But he couldn't she needed the sleep and he couldn't wake her up. She looked so peaceful and beautiful. She always looked beautiful to him.  
  
He got off her and kissed her neck softly and then kissed her forehead. He pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her waist and let himself slowly drift off to sleep.  
  
------  
  
Rath smiled to himself she had let her guard down. He knew she wouldn't be able to hold out the whole night. All he had to do was wait and he did. And it was time to play with the Maria. Rath smirked she was a sexy thing.  
  
He could see why his dupe dug her so much. She had a great body and looked like she would be great in the sack. Ya, Rath would love to play with her. And now he had his chance. He just hoped that Michael had let his guard down just long enough so Rath could get in.  
  
----  
  
Michael woke up, he looked over at Maria. She was still asleep, she seemed to be just fine. Michael thanked god she wasn't having another nightmare. The other one's were just so horrible. And he didn't think she could take any more of it.  
  
Michael sighed to himself and got off the bed. He was thirty, his throat was dry. He needed something to drink. He walked out of his room and left Maria alone, and unprotected  
  
----  
  
Rath smiled, Mickey boy let his guard down tonight. It was the perfect time to get in now. Rath closed his eye's and let himself drift off to sleep, so he could begin to play. So he can begin to play his game that he loved so much.  
  
----  
  
Maria found herself in Michael's bedroom. She looked around and he wasn't in there. She started to get scared, but then calmed down when the door opened and Michael entered the bedroom. Maria smiled and laid back down.  
  
"Where did you go?" Maria asked him.  
  
"I had to go to the bathroom." He told her while getting into bed with her. Mara nodded her head waited for Michael to wrap his arms around her, like he always did. But when he did she didn't get that safe feeling that she always got.  
  
She got something else. Maria turned to look at Michael, and smiled at her. Maria looked into his eye's, it wasn't him. It wasn't Michael. Maria got out of bed and walked to the bedroom door.  
  
"Where you going?" Michael asked her. Maria didn't answer him right away. She turned around and smiled.  
  
"I'm going to the bathroom, I'll be right back." Maria told him, afraid that he might know that she knew it wasn't the real Michael. But he it was to late he already knew.  
  
Before Maria could leave the bedroom, Rath run up to her and pulled her into his arms. He breathed in the scent that Maria had on her body.  
  
"Mmm, Ria' you smell good." He whispered in her ear. "I can see why by dupe likes ya." He then threw Maria against the wall. Maria felt bruises forming on her arm.  
  
"This isn't real. It's just a dream." Maria said out loud. Rath laughed at her and pulled her towards him.  
  
"If it isn't real then why are you bleeding on your lip?" Rath asked her. Maria gave Rath a weird look and touched her lip, out of nowhere Rath slapped Maria cross the face. Blood dripped from her mouth. Maria cursed under her breathe.  
  
"See, if this was a dream you wouldn't be bleeding." Rath said as he wiped the blood off Maria face and licked it. Maria was disgusted with him. "Mmmm, tastes just like fear."  
  
"Your f*cking bastard." Maria told him. Rath just smiled at her and nodded his head.  
  
"Oooo, Ria gots guts. I like that in a women." Rath told her with a smile. Maria just glared at him, she wanted to cry but she wouldn't give Rath the satisfaction. Instead she just got angry. Rath noticed that look on Maria's face.  
  
"Am I getting you angry Maria? Am I getting you really pissed off?" He asked her. Maria didn't say anything. Rath slapped her again, making Maria fall to the ground. "Answer me, DAMNIT!" Rath yelled.  
  
The game was getting boring now, Maria was supposed to be crying by now. She was supposed to be in pain, she was supposed to be screaming for him to stop. But instead she just looked at him with her fiery eye's.  
  
"I guess I'm gunna have to make the game a little more fun now, huh?" Rath told her.  
  
"This isn't real! It's just a dream. If I wake up, everything will be fine." Maria told him. "Wake up! Come on, wake up!" Maria yelled at herself. Rath just chuckled at her.  
  
"You really don't get it, do you? Your not strong enough, Maria. You can't do this alone. If only your boy hadn't let his guard down." Rath told her as he ran his hand down her cheek.  
  
"Michael! Michael! Help me! Michael, please!"  
  
----  
  
Michael took one last sip of his drink and put the dirty cup in the sink. He was walking back to his bedroom, when he heard Maria's voice. It was low but he could still hear it.  
  
"Michael! Michael! Help me! Michael, please!" Michael heard Maria say. Michael rushed to his bedroom and went to Maria's side of the bed. He turned Maria on her back.  
  
"What the hell?" Michael said out loud. Maria had blood coming from her mouth. And it looked like a bruise was forming on her cheek too. Michael shook Maria, gently.  
  
"Come on, Maria. Wake up!" Michael told her. "WAKE UP!" He yelled. Maria still laid there asking him to help her. Michael sighed in fustration. He made Maria sit up and shaked her hard, hoping that he wasn't hurting her. "WAKE UP!"  
  
Maria gasped for air when she opened her eye's. Michael sighed in relief. He helped Maria sit up and placed his hands on both sides of her face.  
  
"Maria are you okay?" Michael asked her. Maria couldn't talk, she just nodded her head. Michael pulled her into a hug. "I'm so sorry Maria." He whispered in her ear. Maria still didn't say anything. Michael pulled away from Maria.  
  
"Maria?" Michael looked into her eye's. Maria seemed to be searching for something. Maria then let out a breathe that she didn't know she was holding.  
  
"Michael...." She whispered. Michael kissed her forehead and then helped her out of bed.  
  
"Come on, I'm gunna have Max heal your bruise." Michael told her. Maria's legs went limp and she fell, but before she could hit the floor Michael caught her. He picked her up and headed towards the living-room.  
  
---- 


	11. Chapter 11

Part 11  
"What the f*ck do you mean, you can't heal her?" Michael yelled getting very angry with Max.  
"Michael, I just can't! For some reason something it blocking me from healing her." Max explained again. Michael's anger was getting the best of him.  
"Try it again!" Michael said through is teeth. Max sighed and turned towards Maria again. He placed his hand on her face where her bruise and cut was. He tried to make the connection, but still nothing happened.  
Max pulled away breathing heavily. He looked up at Maria and she still had the bruise and cut on her face. Michael punched the wall, and Liz placed her face in her hands.  
"I'm so sorry, Maria. I can't do it." Max told her. Maria shook her head and smiled up at him.  
"It's not your fault, Max. It's okay, its just a cut and bruise." Maria told Max, trying to make him feel better about himself. It didn't work but Max gave her a thankful smile and sat on the couch next to Liz, while Maria walked over to Michael.  
"Maria, it's not just a cut and a bruise. It's something big, that you should be more worried about." Michael told her calmly, he didn't want to yell at her. That was the last thing that she needed.  
"Michael, it's okay. I promise, come on. Let's go to the bedroom." Maria told him while pulling his arm towards his bedroom.  
"Maria, this time it's a bruise and a cut, next time he might...." Michael didn't say what both of them were thinking. "And when I try to wake you up......" He paused not wanting to say it. "You won't cuz you'll be...." He stopped himself. He didn't want to finish the thought. He couldn't and wouldn't think that.  
Loosing Maria would be too much. He wouldn't be able to live with himself. Breaking up is one thing, he still got to see Maria and talk to her, but if she would die he wouldn't be able to see, talk, or touch her. He didn't even want to think about what he would do if that happened. Maria pulled Michael close to her and kissed his lips.  
"Michael, don't say or think things like that. It doesn't help." Maria told him. Michael nodded his head. Michael noticed that Maria was still really tired, he could tell that if she were to lay down she would go straight to sleep.  
"Maria, we shouldn't lay down. I can tell that you're tired." Michael told her. "And I can't protect you when you're sleeping." Maria thought for a second, and then remember what Rath told her.  
Flash   
"You really don't get it, do you? Your not strong enough, Maria. You can't do this alone. If only your boy hadn't let his guard down."  
Flash  
"Michael, there's something Rath said to me. Something important." Maria told him.  
"What are you talking about?" Michael asked as they walked inside his bedroom and shut the door.  
"When I was sleeping Michael, where were you?" She asked him. Michael gave Maria a weird look.  
"Maria, I don't think that's imp..." Maria cut him off.  
"Where were you, Michael?" She asked again. Michael sighed and answered her question.  
"I was here with you." Michael paused. "Until I got thirsty and went to get something to drink. And thats when you started screaming." Michael told her, he didn't see the point in this.  
"How long do you think you were gone?" Maria asked him.  
"I don't know, 10 minutes." Michael told her.  
"Thats it then." Maria said to him. Michael was really confused now. He sighed and sat down on the bed.  
"What's it?" He asked her, wondering what she was talking about.  
"In my dream or nightmare, whatever! Rath said something to me." Maria told him. Michael shook his head.  
"Well, what did he say?" Michael asked throwing his hands up in the air.  
"He said something like, 'If only your boy hadn't let his guard down,' I think he means like you can protect me." Michael gave her a strange look. "Like you are the only one who can protect me from him. He told that I wasn't strong enough, and then thats when he said that you shouldn't have let your guard down." Maria tried to explain to him.  
Michael nodded his head, he noticed that too. Just a few moments after he got his drink, Maria started to have her nightmare. He felt guilty for leaving Maria like that. He shook his head. There was no time to start blaming anyone. The only person to blame was Rath, if that's what you would call a person.  
"Well, thats good news. All you have to do is stay with me, 24-7. I won't let you out of my sight." Michael told her. Maria rolled her eye's.  
"I wasn't saying that, I was just saying while I sleep I let my guard down but for some reason you keep your up. So if I just stay here with you when I sleep everything will be good. Well, until we can figure out what to do." Maria told him.  
"No, I like my plan better. See, that way I can watch you all the time."  
"Michael..." Maria said but Michael continued.  
"When your eating."  
"Michael!"  
"When your changing your clothes."  
"Michael!"  
"When your taking a shower." He said with a smirk.  
"MICHAEL!" Maria yelled and then playfully smacked Michael on the arm. Michael chuckled at her. "Come on, lets get some sleep. And this time I won't leave you unprotected. I promise." Michael whispered in her ear.  
---  
Rath slammed his hands down in frustration. He was so close, he almost had her. But his dupe had to come and mess it all up. That was the last straw, he wasn't playing nice guy anymore. He was being easy on Maria before, but now he was going to pull out the big guns.  
Rath smiled at himself, if he couldn't get to Maria, then he would make Maria come to him. He would wait another night to make another plan. He had to come up something good, something that would not only hurt Maria, but hurt his dupe more.  
Yes, the time was now. And now was the time to be really evil. Now was the time to be Rath.  
------ 


	12. Chapter 12

Part 12  
  
"Maria, I don't care what you think. Your coming with me to the Crashdown until my shift is over. I don't want anything to happen to you." Michael yelled at her. They have been fighting for about a half an hour now.  
  
"Michael, nothing it going to happen to me. God, I just want to go home and take a shower." Maria yelled back. She really didn't want to fight, but she really didn't want to back down. Michael grabbed Maria's arm.  
  
"You are going to the Crashdown with me. And I don't want to hear anything else from you." Michael told her. Maria pulled her arm away from Michael.  
  
"Damn it, Michael. Please, just let me go home, get my stuff and then I'll come straight to the Crashdown." Maria then pulled Michael to her and started sucking on her neck, the way she knew drove Michael crazy.  
  
"Maria, don't do that." Michael told her, trying not to fall for it as he wrapped his arms around her waist.  
  
"What...... do....... you...... mean?" Maria asked while still sucking on his neck. Michael groaned.  
  
"You know what." He told her but she just continued to suck on his neck. Michael sighed, he knew he wouldn't win the fight. " FINE! But you have to promise you'll call me when you to your house." Michael told her, Maria pulled away from Michael and nodded her head.  
  
"Ya, I will."  
  
"No! I need you to promise me, Maria." Michael told her. Maria smiled at him.  
  
"I promise, Michael." She told her. Michael nodded his head and kissed her on the cheek.  
  
"Okay, now go and hurry up." Michael told her not wanting her to leave.  
  
"I will." Maria said as she walked out of his apartment. Michael sighed in fustration. He really needed to learn how to say no to her when she did that to him. She seemed to be using her charms against him lately. Michael then got his jacket and left for his shift at the Crashdown.  
  
-----  
  
Maria sighed, she didn't think Michael would actually let her go home. He was so overprotected of her, and now that all these things were going on he was even worse. She smiled to herself, she loved him so much. Maria walked inside of her room and walked to her phone. She called Michael.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"See, I made it home."  
  
"Good, now hurry up and get to the Crashdown." Michael told her.  
  
"Michael, I'm gunna take a nice long bath. So I might be longer than a hour."  
  
"AN HOUR? What the hell? Maria, why do you have to take such a long bath? You just get in wash yourself and then get out." Michael told her.  
  
"Michael, its a bath. Your suppose to relax and then you get. It's okay, I'll be fine. If it makes you feel better, I'll wear life jacket." Maria told him with a giggle.  
  
"Very funny Maria. Fine, whatever. Just try not to stay to long, Okay?"  
  
"Yes, spaceboy."  
  
"Okay, bye."  
  
"Bye." Maria was about to hang up but Michael said something.  
  
"Maria?"  
  
"Ya?"  
  
"I love you." Maria smiled.  
  
"I love you, too." She told him and hung up the phone. Maria walked to the bathroom and turned on the warm water. She started to strip from her clothes while the water got higher and higher. When the tub was full she turned off the water and got inside.  
  
Maria sighed when the warm water hit her body. She loved taking a bath. It was weird because when your younger you hated taking baths. She closed her eye's and let herself enjoy the warmth of the water. She then thought it was a bad idea to close her eye's, because she might fall asleep.  
  
Maria got out of the bath and change into some new clothes. She started to dry her hair with a towel while walking back to her bedroom. She opened the door and noticed it was really cold inside. She looked at her window but it was closed. She shook her head.  
  
'It's probably cold I was because she was just in a warm bath.' Maria told herself. While sitting down and brushing her hair. Maria looked at herself in the mirror and saw something on her face. It looked like a bruise or something, Maria moved closer the mirror. She took her hand and wiped, what she thought was a bruise. But it was just some make-up.  
  
"I'm really loosing it. I just need to hurry up and go to the Crashdown." Maria told herself as she got her make-up out and started to fix herself up. The room seemed really quiet to Maria. Almost to quiet, kind of a scary quiet. Maria looked around her room when she thought she heard a noise.  
  
She shrugged and walked to the kitchen to get something to drink. When she finished her drink she headed back to her room. When she walked inside her room heat hit her body.  
  
"What the? Why is it so hot?" Maria asked out loud. She walked to the window and noticed it was open. Maria turned around and walked out of her bedroom. She had to leave now. She grabbed her purse and went out the door but she bumped into someone.  
  
"Michael, what are you doing here?" Maria asked him.  
  
"Your taking to long. So I came here on my break to pick you up." Michael told her. Maria glared up at him.  
  
"I think I'm a big girl, Michael. I can walk to the Crashdown by myself." Maria told him with a smirk. Michael pulled Maria into a hug.  
  
"I just want to keep you safe." He whispered in her ear. "Mariaaa."  
  
------ 


	13. Chapter 13

Part 13  
  
Maria didn't even blink before she pushed Rath away and made a run for it. Rath just smiled, he loved a chase. He ran after her while turning back to himself. Maria had a good lead on him but he was catching up on her. Maria tried to run faster but she couldn't get away from Rath. He was to fast, he grabbed her from behind and covered her mouth.  
  
"Shhhhh, don't yell Ria'." He told her. "It will only make me want to play more." He whispered in her ear.  
  
------  
  
It's been 35 minutes and still Maria wasn't at the Crashdown. And Michael had this feeling in his stomach that he couldn't shake off. He flipped some burgers and looked up at the clock. Now it was 36 minutes, Michael sighed but then he heard the phone ring.  
  
"Hello?" Michael said into the phone hoping it was Maria.  
  
"Hello bro." Rath said from the other end. Anger ran through Michael's vain. Why was he calling him?  
  
"What the hell do you want?" Michael asked trying not to cause a scene.  
  
"Ya know Mickey, the question isn't what I want. Its who I want." Rath said with a snicker.  
  
"You stay the hell away from Maria." Michael demanded.  
  
"Mickey, how can I stay away from her if she right here with me?" Michael's lost his breath. "But it's okay, Mickey. I'll take real good care of her for you." Rath snickered. "I'll play nice." He whispered and then hung up the phone. Michael slammed the phone down and pulled Liz in the backroom.  
  
"Michael, what is wrong with you?" Liz asked wondering why Michael was pulling her into the backroom.  
  
"Rath has Maria!" Michael told her.  
  
"Oh my god! Are you sure?" Liz asked, all of the sudden a shelf fell off the wall.  
  
"YES! He called me." Michael told her between his teeth.  
  
"Michael just calm down until we can get a hold of Max." Liz told him trying to hide the fact that she was almost as scared as Michael.  
  
"I'M NOT GOING TO CALM DOWN!" Michael yelled. "And I'm not gunna wait for Max. I'm going to find Maria, now." Michael said while walking out the door. Liz followed him.  
  
"Michael, wait! I know your afraid to loose Maria. I am too, but we can't just go off and look for her." Liz told him.  
  
"Why the hell not?" Michael asked.  
  
"Cuz we don't even know where she is. If we get Max and Isabel maybe Isabel can get a hold of Maria and we could get to her faster." Michael stopped and turned around.  
  
"Okay, but we need to hurry up." Michael told her Liz nodded her head and went to go call Max and Isabel.  
  
------  
  
Maria was handcuff to a mental pipe in what seemed like an apartment. A really bad and dirty apartment. Rath was just sitting down on a chair across from Maria. He kept smiling at her, as if he was making a plan all in his mind.  
  
"Ya know, Ria. I've never met a human like you before." Rath told her.  
  
"I'm not surprised. The only time you've actually talked to a human was when you were probably killing him." Maria snapped. Rath laughed, he loved her spunkiness.  
  
"I like that, Ria." He told her.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Maria asked, trying hide all the fear that was going on in her head.  
  
"How ya all spunky, even though you know I can kill you in less than a second. I really like it. Makes me wanna play." Maria got even more scared. She would rather die than do whatever Rath had in mind. But still Maria didn't want to show any fear to Rath, because that would mean he was winning.  
  
----  
  
"You left her alone?" Max asked again. Michael really didn't need to hear this from Max.  
  
"Yes, but I didn't..." Max cut Michael off.  
  
"Why did you leave her alone, Michael? You knew she was in danger and yet you still..." Michael was about to give Max a piece of his mind but Liz beat him to it.  
  
"Max, there's no need to point fingers at anybody. And Michael doesn't need you to blame him even more than he's blaming himself." Liz told Max in a stern voice, Max sighed.  
  
"I'm sorry, Michael." Michael didn't say anything he just nodded his head. "Okay, we need to find some way of finding Maria." Max said. "Isabel you think you could dreamwalk her?" Isabel nodded her head.  
  
"Ya, I could try. Give me a picture of her." Isabel told Michael. Michael nodded his head and handed Isabel a picture of Maria. Isabel held the picture in her hands and closed her eye's.  
  
------  
  
"Maria? Maria, are you here?" Isabel yelled through the darkness.  
  
"Isabel?" Maria's frightened voice called. Isabel turned her head and saw Maria laying down on the floor.  
  
"Maria, oh my gosh. Are you okay?" She asked her. Maria nodded her head.  
  
"This is just a dream, huh? It isn't real. You haven't found me." Maria said. Isabel nodded her head, she wanted to tell me that they had found her and were taking her home. But she couldn't, they didn't even know where she was.  
  
"Maria, I need you to tell me where you are. Do you know where you are?" Isabel asked.  
  
"I'm not sure. I think I'm at apartment building, an old one. When Rath took me here..." Maria paused she didn't remember much cuz Rath knocked her out, but she woke up 10 minutes before they got to where they were.  
  
"Well?" Isabel asked.  
  
"I know I'm still in Roswell. Ummm, 20 maybe 30 minutes away from my house. Umm, I remember being on route 64. The apartment buildings they are blue and white." Maria tried to explain.  
  
"Do you get to see what they were called?" Isabel asked her. Maria shook her head no.  
  
"Wait! I think it says something like, Sunshine or Roswell Sunshine. I don't know something with sunshine." Maria told her.  
  
"Are you sure?" Isabel asked. Maria shook her head no. At this point she wasn't sure of anything. All of the sudden Maria yelled out in pain. "What? What's wrong?" Isabel asked worried.  
  
"I think...... Rath .... is trying to wake me up." Maria let out. She screamed in pain again. "I don't think he's doing it in a peaceful way either." Maria moaned.  
  
---  
  
Isabel shot up from the couch she was laying down on and gasped for air. Everyone rushed to her side asking questions about Maria. Isabel couldn't understand any of them.  
  
"Everyone shut up!" Isabel yelled. They all got quiet. "Thank you. I got through to Maria." This got Michael's attention.  
  
"What did she say?" Michael asked her.  
  
"She didn't say much. She says that she was okay, for now. And she gave me some information about where she was. But we need to get there fast." Everyone nodded their hands as they ened to Max's car.  
  
------  
  
"WAKE UP!" Rath yelled at Maria. Maria's eye's flew open. "Well, it's about f*cking time. I've been trying to wake you up for 10 minutes now." He told her with a smirk on his face.  
  
"I'm tired. I haven't gotten' much sleep lately." Maria told him coldly, while noticing that her hands weren't handcuffed anymore. Rath smirked again.  
  
"I know, and you won't get any for a while." He told her. Maria didn't say anything. She just sighed and kept repeating to herself that her friends would be there soon to save her.  
  
"What cha' thinkin' bout' Ria? Are you thinkin' your friends are gunna save you?" Maria didn't answer him. "You are, how sweet. To bad that isn't gunna happen. They will never save you, not until after I'm done playing." Rath told her and then through her against the wall. 


	14. Chapter 14 - The End

Part 14  
  
Rath forced a kiss onto Maria's lips. Maria tried to pull away but Rath was to strong. Maria then kneed him in the balls and tried to make a run for it. But Rath just laughed and threw her on the bed, then getting on top of her.  
  
"See Ria, no matter how hard you try." He got closer and leaned into her ear. "You'll never get away from me." He whispered.  
  
Maria closed her eye's. Praying that it was another nightmare that she would wake up from. Praying that when she opened her eye's she would be in her room and would be cussing at herself for falling asleep again. She slowly opened her eye's. One single tear rolled down her cheek. She wasn't dreaming, it was real. It was a real nightmare coming to life.  
  
------  
  
Max looked over at Michael and noticed the pained look on his face. He knew Michael was worried but he seemed to get even more worried in the last minute. He didn't want to ask Michael what was wrong because they all knew what was wrong. But there was something different that was bugging Michael.  
  
"Michael?" Max asked. Michael turned his attention to Max.  
  
"Max, she's in pain." Michael told him.  
  
"I know. We all know that but..." Michael cut Max off.  
  
"No! I can feel her. We're close. He's hurting her! HE'S TOUCHING HER!" Michael yelled while slamming his fist on the car.  
  
"Michael, calm down. You said we're close. We'll get there in time." Liz tried to reassure him, even though she wasn't that sure herself. Michael just sighed and nodded his head. He knew getting even more angry wouldn't make things better.  
  
But he couldn't help it. He felt her, he could hear her in his head calling for help. He hated this feeling, the feeling that he couldn't help the one he loved most in the world.  
  
"You guys! I think thats it!" Kyle yelled as he pointed to the hotel on the side of road. Max made a sharp turn into the parking lot.  
  
-------  
  
Maria struggled under Rath. He was so strong, she could only move her legs. She started kicking and moving has much as she could. Rath got angry and slapped her across the face. Maria didn't even wince, she just moved even more. Rath got off Maria and picked her up, so she was standing up. He punched her, hard. She fell to the ground and touched her now bloody lip.  
  
"Ya wanna be difficult?" Rath asked in his yelling voice. Maria stood up and looked at him.  
  
"Wow, difficult! Isn't that a big word for you to be saying?" Maria asked, knowing she was playing with fire and was going to get burned. Rath just smirked at her and held up his hand. In one-second Maria was blasted across the room.  
  
"Ria' what did I tell ya? The more you act like that, the more I wanna play." Rath told her while walking towards her and making her stand up.  
  
"God your sad." Maria told him. Rath paused and looked at her.  
  
"What did cha' say?" He asked her. Maria wanted to get to Rath. She had to buy herself some time.  
  
"You. Are. Sad. All your life you've been nothing but a throw away. So to make yourself feel better you beat up on a girl. Not only a girl, but a human girl that doesn't have a chance against you. If you were a real man, you would just go up to Michael and take him out yourself. If that's who you really wanna take out. But all you can do is beat the sh!t out of me. Thats just sad." Maria told him harshly.  
  
Rath filled with anger. He kicked Maria in the stomach. Maria screamed in pain. She couldn't hold it anymore. It hurt all over, but she got up again. Knowing she hit a soft spot with him. She knew he could kill her, but she didn't care. In some weird way she was starting to win.  
  
"What's wrong, Rath? The truth hurts?" Maria asked before getting another low blow from Rath. Maria dropped to the ground. It took her while to get up again and face Rath.  
  
"You know nothing about ME! You know nothing about the past; about the future." It was Rath's turn to get to Maria. "You know in the past me and Vilandra were together. What makes you think it won't happen again?" He asked her. Maria tried not let it get to her. But couldn't help it, she has asked herself that same question before. "Well, lookie what I got. Have I hit something, Ria?"  
  
"Michael, wouldn't do that. He loves me, and I love him. Isabel is married. There's nothing that will brake me and Michael's love." Maria told him. Rath just smirked at her.  
  
"That's their human side." Rath paused and then whispered. "But what about their alien side?" He let the question hang for a little bit before he started talking again. "No matter how much they try to fight it, they're alien and the alien is in them. And there's nothing that no one can do." Rath told her. Maria was silent, she wouldn't and couldn't let Rath get to her like that.  
  
Rath smiled at her. He was winning now, he took out the fears that she has always had but forgot about. Maria let out a tear but then shook her head and looked up at Rath.  
  
"Where is Lonnie?" Maria asked him. Rath didn't say anything. "Did she throw you away too, Rath? Well, now thats really sad. The only person or living thing in this universe that is as pathetic as you threw you away. So now your just all alone. By yourself, nothing but the left over crap." Maria told him.  
  
Rath didn't want to hear anymore. He hit Maria again, right then Michael, Max, Isabel, Kyle and Liz walked in. Michael locked eye's with Maria. She smiled at him and thank god that he came. She knew Rath was ready to kill her.  
  
Michael then looked at Rath and raised his hand. Rath didn't even see it coming, a bright light filled the room. The next thing that anyone saw was Rath across the room blood dripping from his mouth and nose. Rath gave everyone one last smirk and fell to the floor dead.  
  
Michael was the first one to rush to Maria's side. He pulled Maria into a hug as one tear fell from his eye. Maria let out a sigh, she was so happy to be back in Michael's strong arms again.  
  
"I thought you were gunna kick his ass first." Maria joked with him. Michael let out a small chuckle.  
  
"I wanted too, but I just couldn't stand to see him near you anymore." Michael told her, while pulling her away and looking into her eye's. Everyone went to Maria side and started giving her hugs. But Maria never lost eye contact with Michael.  
  
"Oh, Maria. I'm so glad your okay." Liz told her while hugging her. Maria finally looked away from Michael and closed her eye's.  
  
"I know what you mean, babe." Maria said with a smile. Kyle then hugged her, followed by Isabel and then Max. Maria then returned to Michael and looked at him.  
  
"You guys, what are were going to do with Rath?" Kyle asked. Everyone looked over at the now dead Rath.  
  
"When he smiled, it seemed as if he didn't care if he died." Isabel said out loud, Max noticed that too. They all did. Maria then thought about what she said to him. She almost felt bad for him. Almost.  
  
They all slowly walked up to him. Michael held Maria tight to him, as if Rath was going to come back and hurt her more. Max bent down and tried to touch Rath face, but before he could, Rath turned into nothing but dust. Everyone backed away in shock.  
  
"I guess that answers my question." Kyle said out loud. Maria rolled her eye's and made a snort. Max waved his hand over the dust and it disappeared.  
  
"Come on, lets get out of here." Michael said out loud. But he was really just telling Maria while he pulled her with him. Everyone nodded their heads. No one wanted to be here anymore. It was over, finally over.  
  
----------  
  
"There I'm all better now." Maria said while standing up. "Doctor Max, fixed all my boo boo's." Maria joked and sat next to Michael. Michael looked into Maria's eye's. He knew she was in pain. He knew she needed to cry on his should.  
  
But she didn't. She wouldn't  
  
"Max, can you leave for a little bit? I wanna talk to Maria for while." Michael asked Max. Max just nodded his head, got his jacket and left.  
  
"What do you need to talk to me about?" Maria asked Michael. Michael didn't say anything he just crossed his arms over his chest. "Well?"  
  
"I'm waiting for you." Michael told her. Maria gave Michael a confused look.  
  
"What do you mean?" Maria asked him. Michael sighed.  
  
"Come on, Maria. I know your hurting. I know your still scared. I'm here now. You don't have to hold your tears in." Michael told her, while placing one of his hands on her cheeks. Maria shook her head and stood up.  
  
"I'm fine! I'm okay now!" Maria yelled as her body started to shake. Michael tried to pull her towards him but she pulled away. "You know what? I'm gunna go home and take a shower. I'll be back in a little bit." Before Michael could protest against it Maria was out the door.  
  
Michael watched as Maria walked away. He sighed, she would come to him. He knew she would. She was, in some ways, like him. She needed him as much as he needed her.  
  
------  
  
Maria walked into her bedroom and laid down on her bed. She wanted to cry but she couldn't. For some reason, she felt if she cried it would hurt more. Maria sighed and headed for the bathroom.  
  
Maria turned on the hot water and took off her clothes. She got into the shower and let the warm water cover her body. She wanted to wash away all the pain and stress. After a while she got out of the shower and got dressed.  
  
Maria looked in the mirror. It was foggy from all the steam in the bathroom. She wiped the mirror and noticed her face had bruises and cuts all over her face. Maria started to breathe hard. She looked down at the sink.  
  
Breathe breathe  
  
Maria looked up at the mirror again and all the cuts and bruises were gone. Just the way Max had healed them. Maria started to shake again. But still no tears fell from her eye's.  
  
------  
  
Max was out with Liz and Michael was watching T.V. in the living-room. He then heard a knock on the door. Michael got up and answered the door.  
  
"Maria?" Maria didn't say anything, she just ran into Michael's arms and let out all the tears. Michael let out a sigh of breath. He knew she would come. He brought her to the couch and let her cry on his shoulder.  
  
"It's okay, Maria. I'm here. I'm here. Shhhhh." Michael whispered into her ear.  
  
"I love you, Michael." Maria sobbed. Michael closed his eye's.  
  
"I love you, too." Michael told her. That night Michael let Maria cry into his shoulder. He held her tight and made sure she knew that he would never let her go. No matter what.  
  
The End 


End file.
